How powerful are words of encouragement to those in grief of soul and bitterness of spirit

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Wednesday, August 13th

Today's Daily Verse is found in Proverbs 12.25

"Heaviness in the heart of a man makes it stoop : but a good word makes it glad."

The disciples were scared...

Matthew 14.22-27

"Directly
after this Jesus insisted on his disciples’ getting aboard their boat
and going on ahead to the other side, while he himself sent the crowds
home. And when he had sent them away he went up the hill-side quite
alone, to pray. When it grew late he was there by himself while the boat
was by now a long way from the shore at the mercy of the waves, for the
wind was dead against them. In the small hours Jesus went out to them,
walking on the water of the lake. When the disciples caught sight of him
walking on the water they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said,
and screamed with fear. But at once Jesus spoke to them. “It’s all
right! It’s I myself, don’t be afraid!”

The good word...

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!

Genesis 37.33,35

" Their
father recognized it immediately. “Yes,” he said, “it is my son’s robe.
A wild animal must have eaten him. Joseph has clearly been torn to
pieces!”

v35 "His family all tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “I will go to my grave mourning for my son,” he would say, and then he would weep.

then...

Genesis 42.38

" But
Jacob replied, “My son will not go down with you. His brother Joseph is
dead, and he is all I have left. If anything should happen to him on
your journey, you would send this grieving, white-haired man to his
grave"

The good news Genesis 45

" “Joseph
is still alive!” they told him. “And he is governor of all the land of
Egypt!” Jacob was stunned at the news—he couldn’t believe it. 27 But
when they repeated to Jacob everything Joseph had told them, and when
he saw the wagons Joseph had sent to carry him, their father’s spirits
revived.

28 Then Jacob exclaimed, “It must be true! My son Joseph is alive! I must go and see him before I die.”

A gladdening word is a good word...

Nehemiah 1.4

"When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven."

Nehemiah 2.1-8

Nehemiah Goes to Jerusalem

2 Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan,
during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was serving the
king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence. 2 So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.”

Then I was terrified, 3 but
I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad?For the city
where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been
destroyed by fire.”

4 The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?”

With a prayer to the God of heaven, 5 I
replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your
servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are
buried.”

6 The
king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be
gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone,
the king agreed to my request.

7 I
also said to the king, “If it please the king, let me have letters
addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah. 8 And
please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s
forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams
for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a
house for myself.” And the king granted these requests, because the
gracious hand of God was on me.

Let us be diligent to give "good words" to those who need encouragement...

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